It is reported that the Malian Authority for the Regulation of Telecommunications and Posts (AMRTP), the executive authority for the supervision and administration of services in the telecommunications sector, is independent from the government in the decision-making process.

The Telecommunications Company of Mali (SOTELMA) or Sotelma-Malitel has been privatized. It operates under the brand Moov Africa Malitel whose services are: landline, mobile, Internet and electronic money (Mobicash). The supplier (Maroc Telecom Group) holds 51% and the Malian State (49%) of participation.

It is reported that Mali mandates functional and accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

It is reported that there is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Mali to deliver telecom services to end users. It is practiced in the mobile sector and in the fixed sector based on commercial agreements.

Mali does not have comprehensive trade secret legislation. Yet, there are provisions addressing disclosure, acquisition or use of confidential information in the course of industrial or commercial activities by third parties in Art. 6 of Annex VIII of the Bangui Agreement ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including Mali since 2002.

Mali has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Mali has ratified the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

The Revised Bangui Agreement is a regional intellectual property law that is not only a regional convention applicable in all member states but also serves as a national intellectual property law in Mali and each of the other member states. The Revised Bangui Agreement contains provisions on copyright in Annex VII: Chapter IV (Limitations to Economic Rights) and establishes a clear regime of copyright exceptions, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. In addition, Chapter IV of Title I of Law No. 2017-012 also provides for limitations on copyrights.

It is reported that the government has limited capacity to combat IPR violations. A significant number of IPR violations have been reported in the arts sector. Many CDs, movies and books are reportedly pirated. The Malian Office of the Rights of the Author (Bureau Malien du Droit d'Auteur or BUMDA), which is a body in charge of copyright protection, has reported that counterfeit products are increasingly coming from Mali.

Mali is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

According to the Bangui Agreement, ratified by 17 French-speaking States, including Mali, applicants resident outside the territory of the member States must file through an agent selected in one of those member States (Section III, Art. 8). The professional status of agent accredited to the African Intellectual Property Organisation (OAPI) is governed by the Regulations on the profession of Authorised Agent before the OAPI.

Art. 5.2 of Decree No. 2018-0473/PM-RM provides that in the case of a contract awarded by a decentralized authority or one of its public establishments, a contract applicant who plans to subcontract at least 30% of the overall value of the contract to a Malian company, a Malian craftsman or a Malian artisanal company, may benefit from a margin of preference not exceeding 5%, which may be added to the Community's right of preference under public procurement regulations. Also, the Decree states that the contracting authorities must ensure that a proportion of public contracts are subject to competition between Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (Art. 5.4). On the other hand, according to Art. 11.1, a margin of preference of 25% is granted to products of Malian origin and/or to companies under Malian law whose capital is majority owned by nationals for all types of contracts whose amounts do not reach the thresholds of public procurement. Furthermore, according to Art. 11.3, without prejudice to the provisions relating to national preference, when awarding a public contract or a public service delegation, a preference of 5% is given to the bid submitted by a craftsman or craft company with a fixed base or permanent establishment in Mali. This artisanal preference rate is cumulative with the national preference rate of 15% referred to in Art. 11.1.

Mali is not a party to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) nor does it have observer status.

According to Art. 76 of Decree No. 2015-604/P-RM, a preference shall be given to the tender submitted by a community company. A community company is defined as a company whose head office is located in a member state of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). This preference must be quantified in the form of a percentage of the amount of the bid up to 15%. The terms and conditions of application of community preference, particularly with regard to the types of acquisition concerned and their beneficiaries, are determined by the WAEMU Commission.

Mali is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II).